Nielsen Scarborough
Nielsen Scarborough Review
Nielsen Scarborough, a leading market research company, offers individuals the opportunity to join their survey site and provide valuable consumer insights. In an effort to better understand consumer behaviours and preferences, Nielsen Scarborough surveys cover a wide range of topics including media usage, purchasing habits, and lifestyle choices. In this review, we will explore the process of joining Nielsen Scarborough’s survey site and share our experience providing feedback on various aspects of our daily lives.
Andrew: Andrew is one of our reviewers who’s been with HuginX the longest. With a background in membership support at one of the largest survey companies, Andrew has a lot of inside knowledge of the Market Research industry and has helped us refine our reviewing criteria. When Andrew is not working with reviews, he likes to go hiking with his dog Charlie.
Is Nielsen Scarborough legit?
Yes, Nielsen Scarborough is legitimate. The company is headquartered in New York and has been in business for more than four decades. It is accredited by the Better Business Bureau and has an A+ rating. While few customer reviews are available for the company, they are a trustworthy market research company.
What’s the concept?
Nielsen Scarborough is a branch of Nielsen, the world’s largest market research agency. This Scarborough panel is exclusive to the United States, where households are randomly selected in each local area. By participating in this research, respondents have the opportunity to tell local businesses about their choices and preferences in consumer products and services.
In this way, participation in the Nielsen Consumer Survey is meaningful and impactful. Your answers will be counted for the many people who were not invited to the survey. The Scarborough project conducts 200,000 surveys annually in over 120 local areas across the US.
“Nielsen Scarborough captures local and national consumer insights across 2,000+ categories including leisure activities, shopping behaviors, purchasing patterns, and media consumption. Conducting 330,000+ surveys a year throughout the U.S., Nielsen Scarborough ensures that advertisers and media companies are equipped to meet the needs of their customers and uncover new strategic possibilities.” Nielsen
How to join the Nielsen Scarborough consumer panel
To join the Scarborough Surveys panel, you must first be invited. These surveys are not advertised and are only sent to members randomly. The company will send you an invite via email or phone.
How much can I make from taking part in the research?
Compensation for participating in studies with Nielsen Scarborough is both fair and reliable. Product testing studies not only offer cash rewards ranging from $1 to $10 but also allow participants to keep the tested products. For telephone surveys, payment is typically received within two weeks of completing the survey, while paper surveys answered using radial dots are compensated within the same timeframe upon mailing back the survey.
It is important to note that Nielsen Scarborough Surveys is a trustworthy platform operated by Nielsen, a globally recognized company committed to safeguarding panellists’ information. With a strict policy of maintaining anonymity, your personal data is never disclosed or shared with any third party, as all answers are consolidated in an aggregated format.
Are my data safe with Nielsen?
Your answers will be kept confidential and reported only in combination with other survey participants. They will never be reported individually. All the information you give to Nielsen will be private, including your name and contact information. Protecting your privacy is a priority for Nielsen, and they will never give your name or address to any company that wants to sell you things.
Top Rated Panels
- Transparent payment system
- Low redemption level
- High incentives compared to regular consumer survey sites
- Good selection of payment options
- Interesting survey opportunities
- High qualification rate
- Simple user interface
- Surveys are not always mobile-friendly
- Complex questions which can take a lot of concentration and time to fill out
- Free to join
- Earn referral commissions
- Fair incentive level
- Good survey experience
- Professional MR company
- There is no signup bonus
- The minimum payout threshold is high
- PayPal and bank redemptions can take up to 30 working days to process
- Owned by one of the largest market research companies
- Above average payout per survey
- A low threshold to redeem rewards
- Easy to qualify for surveys
- Low volume of survey opportunities
- Technical glitches using the Pinecone Research app
- No payout threshold
- Gives loyalty credit if you do not qualify for a survey
- Above-average incentive levels
- Limited earning opportunities
- Hard to qualify and low pay for partner surveys
- Free products sent home for testing (iHUT)
- Above-average incentive levels
- Good survey experience
- Interesting survey opportunities well matched with demographics and interests
- Support for users could be faster
- Many profiling questions to fill out
- Not possible to sign-up for the panel unless invited
- No cash incentives
Types of survey opportunities with Nielsen Scarborough:
1. The Nielsen Scarborough Consumer Survey
The Nielsen Scarborough Consumer Survey asks about the activities you like, your shopping, travel and entertainment preferences, and your media choices – which newspapers you read, what you listen to on the radio, and what programs you watch on TV or other devices. Retailers and media companies in your local area will better use this information to meet their customers’ needs. Your answers will represent thousands of other people who were not invited to this survey.
You can take the Nielsen Consumer Survey on paper (posted through ordinary mail) or online.
2. The Nielsen Scarborough Telephone Survey
The Nielsen Scarborough Telephone Survey asks about your lifestyle behaviour, education and media choices – which newspapers you read, what you listen to on the radio, and what programs you watch on TV or other devices. Retailers and media companies in your local area will use this information to meet their customers’ needs. Your answers will represent thousands of other people who were not invited to this survey.
3. The Nielsen Scarborough TV Diary
The Nielsen Scarborough Television Diary gives television stations, media companies, and local businesses an idea of what people like to watch in their local area. The TV Diary records the programs you watched on television for seven consecutive days. It is equally important as the Consumer Survey you have already completed. You received the TV Diary to represent thousands of people in your local area since we cannot ask everyone about their television viewing.
Summary – Pros and Cons
Signing up with the survey site Nielsen Scarborough presents a range of pros and cons that merit careful consideration. On the positive side, one significant advantage is the fact that there is no minimum redemption level – you get paid after each task is completed. Additionally, Nielsen Scarborough offers fair compensation for survey participation, ensuring that individuals are adequately rewarded for their valuable time and insights.
The provision of cash payments is another favourable aspect, providing participants with immediate monetary benefits that can be utilized according to their preferences. Moreover, the site maintains an easy qualification process, enabling a wide array of individuals to engage in surveys and share their opinions. The transparency of the reward system further enhances the appeal, as participants are fully aware of the compensation they will receive before committing to the surveys.
However, it is important to consider a few potential drawbacks. One notable concern is the slow payment process, where participants may experience delays in receiving their compensation. This delay can be frustrating for individuals seeking prompt access to their rewards. Another drawback is the exclusive use of cheques as the payment method. While some may find this method convenient, others may perceive it as cumbersome due to the need for additional steps to deposit or cash the cheques.
It’s also important to note that participation in Nielsen Scarborough surveys is limited to invited members only, potentially excluding individuals who are interested in sharing their opinions but haven’t received an invitation.
Despite these drawbacks, the benefits of signing up with Nielsen Scarborough, including the low payout threshold, fair compensation, cash payments, easy qualification process, and transparent reward system, make it an attractive option for individuals seeking to earn rewards through surveys. The overall experience of engaging with Nielsen Scarborough is generally rewarding for those who qualify and are willing to accommodate these limitations.
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Disclosure: While HuginX is editorially independent, we may earn commissions on sign-up links.
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